Hydraulic abutment device



J. F. JOY

HYDRAULIC ABUTMENT DEVICE Nov; 8, 1938.

Filedseptjlsa, 1954 a. r/a/ fm/'enfer Jasep 'Joy .4 u 1 4 no :d A..2///.

Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE livan MachineryCompany, a corporation Massachusetts Application September 19, 1934,Serial No. 744,703

4 Claims.

My invention relates to fluid operated extensible supports, and moreparticularly to hydraulically operated posts for use as mineprops or thelike.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved fluid pressureoperatedl extensible supporting device. Another object of my inventionis to provide an improved hydraulically operated post or group. Afurther object of my invention ls to provide in a hydraulic propimproved operating and controlling means. Other objects and advantagesof my invention will hereinafter more full.;r appear.

In the accompanying drawing, in which one embodiment of the invention isshown for purposes of illustration,-

Fig. 1 is a central vertical section through the illustrativeembodiment;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view on a section corresponding to the sectionof Fig. 1, but showing parts in different relation, and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a conventional slipdevice.

Referring to the drawing, it will be observed that a bottom plate orabutment I supports in rigid relation thereto a cylinder 2 having anupper head 3 traversed by a bore 4 through which a hollow member 5 isslidably movable. The member 5 corresponds to a piston rod and isconnected at its lower end 6 to a piston member 1 having a suitablepacking 8. A sealing ring 9 is carried by the head 3. The upper end ofthe member 5 supports an abutment or plate I0 which is, in theembodiment of the invention shown, adapted to engage a mine roof or thelike.

In the collapsed position of the parts shown in Fig. 1 a substantialquantity of liquid, preferably an oil of suitable viscosity, is enclosedwithin the bore of the hollow member 5 and this is intended to bedisplaced from the space within the interior of the member 5 to thespace within the cylinder 2 below the piston 1, in order to effectextension of the jack or post. For this purpose there is arranged,herein integrally with piston 1, a central upwardly extending cylindermember I2 having a bore I3 in which a suitable pump plunger I4 isreciprocably mounted. The bore I3 communicates, at a point adjacent thelower end of the stroke of the plunger I4, with a valve chamber I5through a port I6, the valve chamber I5 containing a ball valve I1cooperating with a seat I8 to permit the drawing-in of liquid from theinterior of the member 5 through a suction port 20, while preventingreverse flow. The extreme bottom of the bore I3 communicates through aport 2I surrounded by a valve seat 22 and controlled by a spring loadedball valve 23 with a chamber 24 in which the ball valve and its spring25 are mounted; and`the chamber 24 is provided with a discharge port inthe form of an opening 26 through a closure plug 21 so that fluid forcedthrough the opening 2l and past the valve 23 may be discharged throughthe opening 2S into the space below the piston 1.

The plunger I4 is connected by a pitman 30 with a crankpin 3| upon acrank disc 32 suitably supported upon a drive shaft 33, which isrotatably mounted in a bushing 34 in a cover plate 35 secured to -themember 5 at an appropriate position. A suitable packing 35 surrounds theshaft 33. Shaft 33 supports a polygonal socket 31 at its outer end, andwith this the driving element 38 of a suitable operating motor 39 isadapted to be connected to rotate the shaft 33 and t-o operate the pumpplunger I4. The motor 39 may :20 desirably have between it and itsterminal driving element 38 a slip friction mechanism, for example, asshown at 60 in Fig. 3, to permit slippage when the abutment plate Il)reaches and is forced solidly against the surface which it is intendedto engage. Other suitable expedients for preventing excessive shocks andsudden stoppage of the motor may be resorted to, as, for example, thearrangement of a slipping clutch such as that shown in Figure 3, betweenthe drive socket member 31 and the crank disc 32.

Parallel to the chamber 24 there is arranged a second chamber 4I) in thepiston member 1. This chamber contains a ball valve 4I normally heldseated by a spring 42 and controlling flow vbetween the chamber 4D,whose lower end is connected by a passage 43 with the space below thepiston 1, and a passage 44 which extends through the upper end of thepiston member 1 and communicates with the space within the interior ofv4,0 the member 5. In suitable guides 45 a plunger rod 46 is mounted ina position to extend freely into engagement with the ball valve 4I, anda sleeve 41 is slidably mounted upon the pump cylinder element I2 andhas a collar 48 for en- 45 gaging the upper end of the plunger r-od 46.A spring 49 engages the lower end of the sleeve 41 and also engages ashoulder 5|] on the piston member 1, whereby the sleeve 41 is normallyheld in a position such that the plunger rod 46 will `50 not unseat theball valve 4I. A link 52 pivotally connected at 53 to the sleeve 41 ispivotally oonnected at its upper end to a crankpin 54 upon a shaft 55which projects through a suitable stuiiing box.56 formed in the wall ofthe mem- ,56

ber 5, and a wrench or handle may be applied to the extremity 51 of theshaft 55 to enable rotation -of the latter and thereby movement of thepin 54 to move the link 52 downwardly and thereby depress the sleeve 41far enough to cause the plunger rod 46 to be enga-ged and to be moveddownwardly to unseat the ball valve 4l and thereby to open a freecommunication between the opposite sides of the piston 1.

The mode of operation of the device will Ybe readily apparent from theforegoing description. The extensible post is brought into the positionwhere it is desired to have it used and is set upright upon a minebottom, for example. The

driving motor is then connected through its driving element 38 with thedrive socket 31 and the shaft 33 is rotated. This causes the crankpin 3land connecting rod 30 to reciprocate the plunger I4, and liquid isforced from the chamber within the member 5 to the space below thepiston 1, the liquid being drawn in on the upstrokes of the plunger I4through the inlet port 2B and past the valve I1 and through the port l5into the cylinder -bore i3, and being forced on the downward strokes ofthe plunger I4 through the port 2| past the ball check valve 23 andthrough the port 26 into the space below the piston 1, and the latter ismoved upwardly. When the plate i0 engages the roof, a yielding mechanismsuch as has been described will preclude breakage of the parts or suddenstoppage of the motor.

Obviously the post will remain in its extended position, provided thevalves 23 and 4l seat prop- Yerly, just as long as is desired. When itis desired to release and lower the post, the operator may rotate theshaft 55 with a wrench or handle applied at 51, thereby causing thedrive pin 54 to move the link 52 downwardly, thereby depressing thesleeve 41 and moving the plunger 46 down to unseat the valve 4 l. Theweight of the parts will then cause the piston 1 and member 5 to movedownwardly, while the liquid below the piston 1 will pass uprthrough theport 43, chamber 4U and port 44 and into the interior of the member 5again.

From the foregoing description it will be evident that I have provided avery simple, compact, rugged and easily controlled extensible device,which is well adapted to use either as a hydraulic jack or as a mineprop or for various other purposes which will suggest themselves tothose skilled in the art. Due to the use of a liquid, a rigid holding iseiected, and due to the detachable driving element the cost of the unitsmay be kept low. A simple and positive device for permitting collapse ofthe prop or jack will be noted to be provided and the entire device iswholly without parts which are subject to easy derangement or likely tobe broken during use or handling of the apparatus.

While there is in this application specically described one form whichthe invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that thisform of the same is shown for purposes of illustration and that theinvention may be modied and embodied in various other forms withoutdepart.- ing from its spirit or the scope oi the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l1. In combination, in an apparatus of the character described, `acylinder member, a piston member reciprocable therein, each of saidmembers having an abutment Aelement associated i an outer cylinder, apiston contained in said outer cylinder and having a tubular piston rodextending through the outer head of the cylinder and providing a Vfluidreservoir, said cylinder and piston relativelyreciprocable andrespectively having means at their remote extremities engageable withextraneous abutments, means for pumping iluid from said reservoir tosaid outer cylinder to act between said outer cylinder and said pistonto eiectrelative movement of said piston and .cylinder comprising lapump cylinder mounted on said piston vand arranged within said tubularpiston rod and submerged within the iluid in the reservoir, a movablepump element contained in said pump cylinder, pump intake and dischargepassage means Vin said pump cylinder and said piston for conductingfluid from said reservoir to said outer cylinder, intake and dischargevalves controlling said passage means, a pump driving member mounted onsaid piston rod and engageable exteriorly of said piston rod withsuitable driving means and connected interiorly of the piston rod withsaid movable pump element, by-pass valve means in said piston forby-passing the fluid from the outer cylinder to said reservoir withinsaid piston rod, said by-pass valve means distinct from said pump intakeand discharge valves, and an operating member mounted on the piston rodat a point remote from said 'by-pass valve meansand operable fromexteriorly of the piston rod for controlling said by-pass valve means,said by-pass valve means controlling member having connections withinsaid piston Vrod for operating said Vby-pass valve means including areciprocable valve operating member `coaxial with and guided on saidpump cylinder.

3. In a`hydraulic mine column, a base having a bottom abutment'engagingmember and an integral outer cylinder, a piston reciprocable in saidcylinder and having an elongated tubular piston rod extending upwardlythrough the outer head of the cylinder and providing a fluid reservoir,`said piston rod having at its upper extremity an abutment engagingmember, means for pumping uid from said reservoir to said outer cylinderbeneath said piston to kact on said piston to effect relative movementbetween said piston and outer cylinder comprising Va pump cylinder withsaid movable pump element, by-pass valve means in said piston forby-passing the fluid from `the Vouter cylinder beneath said piston backto saidreservoir withinsaid piston rod,fsaid by-pass valve meansdistinct from said pump intake and discharge valves, and means foroperating said by-pass valve means including an operating membersurrounding and guided on the pump cylinder and a horizontal rotatablemember journaled in the wall of the piston rod in adjacency to saiddriving member for said movable pump element and engageable exteriorlyof the piston rod with suitable rotating means and connected interiorlyof the piston rod with the operating member for said by-pass valvemeans.

4. In an extensible mine column, in combination, relatively reciprocableinner and outer telescopically arranged column elements, one in the formof a cylinder and the other having a piston secured thereto, said pistoncontained in said cylinder, said telescopic 'column elements havingmeans at their remote extremities engageable with extraneous abutments,the reciprocable column element providing a fluid reservoir, and meansfor pumping fluid from said reservoir to saidcylinder to act on saidpiston to effect extension of said column elements comprising a pumpcarried by the reciprocable column element and submerged in the fluid inthe reservoir therein, said pump including a cylinder containing apiston and having driving means arranged Within said reciprocable columnelement, means carried by said reciprocable column element andengageable exteriorly of said column element with suitable driving meansand connected interiorly of said reciprocable column element with saidpump driving means, by-pass means including a by-pass valve distinctfrom said pump and carried Within the piston of said reciprocable columnelement for by-passing the fluid from said cylinder beneath said pistonback to said reservoir to effect collapse of the column elements,operating means for said by-pass valve comprising an operating elementcoaxial with the pump and guided on the pump cylinder, andoperating-element-actuating means carried by said reciprocable columnelement at a point remote from said by-pass valve and having exteriorlyof said column element an actuating portion and connected interiorly ofsaid reciprocable column element with said operating element of theoperating means for said by-pass valve.

JOSEPH F. JOY.

